Improvement im veneer-cutters



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l. N. SEIB.

Veneer Gutters. x N0 141,596, Paten'tedAugust,1873.

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Veneer Cutters.

N0'. 141,596.l PatentedAugust5,873.'

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Veneer Cutters.

Patented August v5, 1873.

No. 141,59e.

/r /W/ l@ NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN NSEIB, OE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN VENEER-CUTTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,596, dated August 5,1873; application led May 10, 1873.

Y To all whom tt 'may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN N. SEIB, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Veneer- Gutter; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this speciiication, in which drawmg Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of my machine when arranged for cutting veneers from a circular log. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same in the plane x Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section of the Same in the plane y y, Fig. l, showing the feed mechanism. Fig. 4 is a detached front view of a portion of the feed mechanism. Fig. 5 is a transverse Section of my machine when arranged for cutting Veneers from a tlat log, the plane of section being indicated by the line z z, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a rear view of the feed mechanism for dat logs. Fig. 7 is a top view of the same. Fig. 8 is a front View ot' the feed mechanism in a modified form. Fig. 9 is a top view of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a veneer-cutter of that class which I have described in my patent No. 130,754, dated August 20, 1872, and also in my patent No. 137,489, dated April 1, 1873, and which consists in a certain combination of mechanism whereby veneers can be cut either from a ilat, or from a circular, or from a semicireular log, and each piece of 'wood can be cut up to the best possible advantage. My present improvements consist in combining with the circular log a steadying-roller, which is held in contact with the log by action of the knife-carriage, and from which motion is transmitted to the cutter that serves to separate the sheet of wood cut off from the log in Such a manner that the steadying-roller is always kept iirmly in contact with the log, and that the same performs its double ofiice of steadying the log and of imparting motion to the cutter without fail. Further, in a double-acting feed-mechanism combined with a reciproeating stay-log, and so constructed that when the stay-log begins its return stroke the knifecarriage is moved back, and the knife carried clear of the log, while, when the stay-log begins its forward stroke, the knife-carriage is moved forward sufficiently to enable the knife to cut off a veneer ofthe required thickness.

In the drawing, the letter A designates the bed which forms the support for my machine. From this bed rise two Standards, B B, the edges of which are V-shaped, and form guides for the stay-log C, to which a flat or rectangular log is secured, Figs. 1 and 5. Said stay-log connects, by rods a a, with workingbeams b b, which swing on pivots c, Fig. 5, and to which an oscillating motion is imparted by connecting them to eccentric wrist-pins fl, Secured in cog-wheels c, which are mounted on the opposite ends of a shaft, f. These cogwheels gear into pinions g mounted on a shaft, h, which can be made to slide in its bearings, so that the pinions g can be thrown in or out of gear with the cog-wheels e. On the shaft h is also mounted a cog-wheel, t', which gears in a pinion, j, on the driving-shaft lo, and this pinion is made of such a width that it will not be thrown out of gear with the wheel t' when the shaft 7L is made to slide in its bearings. 0n the shaft f is mounted a bevel-wheel, l, which gears in a corresponding bevelwheel, m, mounted on the end of a transverse arbor, n, and in the face of this last-named bevelwheel is secured an eccentric wrist-pin, o, which connects, by a rod, p, with another eccentric wrist-pin, q, secured in the face of a disk, r, Fig. 1, which is mounted on a transverse shaft, s, and which serves to impart to the knife-carriage E a transverse reciprocating motion in front of the log. In the ends of the carriage E are secured two nuts, w, which are tapped to receive screw-spindles al, and on the inner ends of these screwspindles are mounted bevelwheels b1, which gear in corresponding bevelwheels c mounted on a longitudinal shaft, d1, which has its bearings in the standards rising from the bed A. 0n this shaft is also mounted a lever, f1, which swings loosely thereon, and which carries two pawls, g1 g", Fig. 5, that extend in opposite directions and engage, one with a ratchet-wheel, c1, and the other with a disk, c", which is situated close behind the ratchet-wheel and turns loosely on the shaft d1,wl1ile the ratchet-wheel is mounted firmly on the saine. The periphery of said disk is provided with some teeth and with a raised segment, et, Fig. 6, the diameter of which is equal to the outer circumference of the ratchet-wheel el. The face of the pawls g is wide enough to extend over the ratchetwheel and over the disk, while the face of the pawl g1 is cut off, so that the same engages with the ratchet-wheel, only without coming in contact with the raised segment e* of the disk during any part of .its motion. The disk c" is adjusted in the desired position by a stop-pawl, gf, which enga-ges with the teeth cf said disk, and the lever fl connects, by a rod, h1, with the connecting-rod dit, leading from the eccentric wrist-pin al to one'of the working-beams.

Whenever the shaft f revolves the stay-log E receives a reciprocating motion, and an 0scillating motion is imparted to the lever f1, which carries the pawls gl go. If this lever moves in the direction of arrow l the pawl g1 rides over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel el and the pawl g slides on the raised segment of the disk e until it passes from this segment and engages with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, thereby imparting motion to said ratchet-wheel in the direction of arrow l during a portion of the stroke of the lever f1 in this direction. By this motion of the ratchet-wheel c1 the fcedscrews al are turned backward, causing the knifecarriage to retreat, while the stay-log moves upward. Before the stay-log begins to move downward the motion of the lever f1 is reversed, and the pawl g1 engages with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel e1 during its entire stroke in the direction of arrow 2 and the feed-screws are turned so as to move the knife-carriage in toward the staylog.

From this description it will be seen that the forward motion of the knife-carriage is greater than its backward motion, since the pawl go engages with the ratchet-wheel c1 only during a portion of the back-stroke of the lever f1, while the pawl g1 engages with said ratchet-wheel during the entire forward motion of said lever, and by changing the position of the disks e0 the difference between the forward and backward motion of the knife-carriage can be adjusted as may be desired.

By imparting to the knife-carriage a backward motion while the stay-log moves upward the log is prevented from rubbing against the knife, and the cutting-edge of said knife is preserved.

Instead of using a ratchet-wheel, c1, and disk c", for the feed mechanism, I can also use two ratchet-wheels, c3 c4, (see Figs. 8 and 9,) which are both firmly keyed to the shaft d1, their teeth pointing in opposite directions, and one of which engages with a pawl, g3, while the other engages with a pawl, g4. The pawl g3 is pivoted to the lever f1, but the pawl g* is provided with a slot, g, which straddles a pivot, g4, secured in the lever f1.

Through the butt-end of said pawl extends a screw, 042, and, if the lever f1 oscillates the pivot g43 slides in the slot g until it strikes the end of said slot o r the point of the screw 942. If the lever f1 moves in the direction of arrow l, therefore the pawl g4 remains stationary until the pivot 943 strikes the end of the slot, when said pawl engages with the ratchet-wheel e4 and imparts to the knife-carriage a backward motion. When .the lever f1 moves forward in the direction of arrow 2 the pawl g3 engages with the ratchet-wheel c3 during the entire stroke of said lever, and the knife-carriage is fed in toward the logcarrier a sufficient distance to cut off a veneer. The difference between the backward motion and the forward motion of the knifecarriage is regulated by the set-screw g.

In order to cut veneers from a cylindrical log, (see Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4,) I provide each end of the log with suitable holes to engage with the center points and pins of chucks s1, which are secured to the ends of tubular spindles, which slide in tubes u1 and are fed toward each other by hand-wheels w. On the tubes al are mounted cog-wheels y', and, if the shaft h is moved in the proper position, pinions z', which are mounted on said shaft, are thrown in gear with the cog-wheels y', and the motion which is imparted to the shaft h from the driving-shaft is transmitted to the tubes u1, and through them to the log attached thereto, while the motion of the stay-lo g C is stopped. The reciprocating motion of the knife-carriageE is also stopped, and said knifecarriage is fed toward the logby afeed mechanism, detached views ofwhich are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It consists of a ratchet-wheel, r2, which is firmly keyed on the shaft d1, and close behind this ratchet-wheel is placed, loosely, a disk, s2, (Fig. 4,) the diameter of one section of which is equal to the extreme diameter of the ratchet-wheel, while another section therof is turned down, so that its radius is equal to the radius of a circle embracing the grounds or lowest port-ions of the ratchet-teeth. On this disk are also formed a series of teeth, 321, which engage with a stop-pawl, s. On the shaft d1 swings, loosely, a lever, T21, which carries a pawl, V23, and which connects by a rod, T24, with a crank, t2, mounted on a shaft, t, that is geared together with one of the tubular shafts u1 by cog-wheels u2 and u. The proportion of these cog-wheels is such that the lever T21 makes two or more oscillations for every revolution of the shaft al, and whenever said lever moves forward in the direction of arrow 1 the shaft d1 imparts motion to the feed-screws al of the knife carriage, and the knife is fed toward the log. When the lever T21 swings back the pawl T23 rides over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel and on the high section of the disk s2, and when said lever moves forward the pawl is not permitted to engage with the ratchet-wheel until it has passed the high section ofthe disk. The disk can be adjusted on the shaft d1 by means of the stop-pawl S23, and if the disk is turned forward the feed-motion is diminished, and vice versa.

By gearing up the feed mechanism the operation of cutting veneers from a circular log is materially facilitated, and a continuous sheet is cut od. In order to cut this sheet into veneers of convenient width I extend, through the knife-carrier in the rear of the knife, two shafts, a2 b2, one below the other, (see Figs. 2 and 5,) and in the lower shaft a2 I secure a knife, the cutting-edge of which, on passing the upper shaft, extends close to the surface thereof. On the shaft a2 are mounted two pulleys, d2, (Figs. l and 2,) one on each end,

and each of these pulleys connects by a belt, j?, with a pulley, e2, the shaft of which has its bearings in slides f2 fitted to one of the standards B. Said slides are provided with cogs, which gear in pinions g2, each mounted on a shaft that carries a pulley, h2, from which is suspended a weight, i2, so that by the action of this weight the corresponding slide is forced upward, and thereby the belts jz, running from the pulleys d2 to the pulleys e2, are kept taut. From the pulleys e2 extend belts k2 to pulleys l2, which are formed on the ends of a roller, m2. This roller (Figs. l and 2) has its bearings in slides n2 fitted to guides o2, which extend from the standards B in an inclined direction. From the slides n2 extend cords p2, over suitable guide-pulleys, to screws q2, which are tapped into the lower portion of the knifecarriage. By means of these screws the cords p2 can be tightened, and the roller m2 is pressed up against the surface of the 'log K, so that, when the log revolves, the roller m2 receives a revolving motion, which is transmitted, by the belts jZ k2, to the cutter-shaft a, and that the motion of this shaft depends upon the motion of the log, and the veneer cut from said log is divided into sheets of uniform width.

.As the cutting operation progresses the knifecarriage is fed in toward the log, and the screws g2, which move with said knife-carriage, keep the cords p2 tight, and thus the roller 'm2 is continually kept in Contact with the log until the latter is entirely cut up. The shaft 1121's adjusted in relation to the shaft a2 by means of screws b21, (Figs. 2 and 5,) which serve to move the bearings of the shaft b2 down toward or away from the shaft a2. lThe guides o2 of the slides u2 are inclined, so that the weights i2 are enabled to keepthe belts 7a2 tight, as well as the belts jz. The knife-shaft a2, and also b2, may be supported at one or more places between its ends, so as to prevent them from springing apart.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In combination with the knife -carriage and the reciprocating stay-log of a veneercutting machine, a feed mechanism which carries the knife-carriage back when the staylog recedes and forward when the stay-log advances, substantially as shown and described.

2.l The combination of the adjusting-disk s? and stop-pawls s23 with the feed-wheel r2, feedpawl T23, screw-rods a1, and knife-carriage E of a veneer-cutter, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of slides n2, cords p2, and adjusting-screws g2 with the knife-carriageE and roller m2, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN N. SEIB.

Witnesses: A

JosEPH MINERsAGEN, ZAGIIARIAH GUsHMAN, Jos. F. PAUL. 

